Defence is an obvious area of concern. We have scored four tries today against the likely winners/runners up of the league, so we can score points... how many conversions/penalties were kicked/missed today?

Out classed up front today...fact, yes we've only moved up one league but it's a big step up, and from this league to the prem is another larger step, and we've played a very strong side today, welcome to the big boys league

Today? Quite simply we came up against a better team. Ealing are top for a reason.

They play on a plastic pitch which Coventry have struggled with before and have real quality in their ranks.

But we have problems. How can we run London Irish so close and then collapse like today?

We have quality. It's a step up. A challenge for the lads, but...

Look at some former Cov players in the Premiership. There's no reason why some of this group can survive at Premiership level, do well at Premiership level. But it's about getting it right the next rung of the ladder.

I'd love to know. I know there are players not getting a chance at the moment who I think are brilliant and may be lost to Cov and make it at a higher level with someone else.

Something has been lost. I wonder how much the defeats to Pirates, Hartpury, Richmond and London Irish hurt the confidence, led to panic and have become an obstacle to playing as a XV?

I fear some players are playing better than they were in the Championship, but have stayed at Championship level.

I fear some players don't realise how good they are and have failed to move forward.

I fear results have gone against them and there is a tendency to panic, to force things rather than focus on the simple stuff.

If I were the coaches, I'd have them running hard and handling fast. No contact, no weights, nothing but running as fast as they can, for as long as they can, with the ball going through hands like lightning.

While there are players that can go forward, there are equally some who can go back.

Having watched them today I’d totally disagree. We’re at least a stone a man too small. 3G pitch should suit us as we’re supppsedly a mobile fast team, but we’re not. You can play as fast as you like but you need the ball first. We make too many unforced errors. First three tries they certainly didn’t earn as they all came from Cov errors. Missed tackles, huge passes without looking, going for the interception without getting near it and leaving your man with half a field of space, trying flat cross field kicks in your own 22. Have to say that of the 8 points that we missed in conversions, 4 were certs for Maisey but you’d back him to get all of them. At 9 the ball was slow even when it was there, defensively we looked vulnerable at 10. Up front we didn’t compete at the restart even with some great kick offs from sharpe, our back row were out muscled and out classed. Sir did not have a good game, allowing Ealing backs to be offside every ruck but then we let them be, they were over the top at every ruck and not one Cov forward reminded them of their place, thought Knox did ok until injured. We looked the more tired team after 30mins. Ealing are not a special team, they’re not any more complicated or challenging than when they won league 1, big forwards, solid set piece and effective backs.

Stone a man light and not doing the basics rights is where I’d start. Then once we can win and retain possession can we play more open rugby. The great thing is that we can ( and are) bulking up for this league, we’ve got talent and the determination to play a full 80 which are a solid foundation. We got a point out of today which is a good result right now. I suspect we might beat them at the BPA. It’s important we win 80% at home this year and even if we only pick up 1/2points away each game we should be comfortably safe. I genuinely think we’ll be a far better team come February and finish strong.

Plastic pitch or not, that's dose not stop the ability to pass, tackle, ruck, maul or scrummage, up front we were totally out classes today, Cov played, in my opinion a week London Irish side, so to keep using that game as a reference is again in my opinion irrelevant, all you can put today's game down to is a experienced championship side that are fighting with London Irish for promotion, against a newly promoted side that can hold there own in this league, if anyone thought they were going to watch Cov destroy sides like they did last season then think again, I don't think some people on here really appreciate what a big step up this league is, I'll give you an example....how do you think Wasps would fair against the all blacks?????

Would be good to keep some perspective and remember the plan of the club. Tough days out like this need to be balanced with our second string beating Irish (who are used to having to field a decent reserve side in Prem A league) away from home on Monday.

It is early in the season, we are ‘top of the bottom’ clubs. The learning across players, coaches, back room, commercial and owner is vital for sustained progress.

Not all progress can be in a straight, upward trajectory. One more good home win next week and the start to life in the Champ has been pretty good (far better than the last 8/9 promoted sides).

PaulRossboroughSo we have jumped a league, I accept this and I am aware that we are not going to win every match. I personally, would be happy just to stay up this season.
However, whilst I haven't been to any away matches, I have been to each home match.

Why are we losing these matches? Obviously today was a tough ask and whilst I had a feeling we'd pull it out the bag today, I was wrong but definitely, I thought it would be closer.

What's happening? Game plan? Players?

Repeating what I said on another thread
If anyone doubted that this would be a big step up we were shown what a step it is by probably the best team in this league. Ealing had tremendous pace, ball carrying skills, a good pack and good line out.

It was a gutsy performance by Cov especially 2nd half. To get the bonus point for four trys was an immense efforts. Good teams force you to make errors and punish your mistakes. Ealing always seemed to have two or three options.

This was a big improvement on what I saw at Hartpury. Cov battled to the end today. Ealing showed us what is required to be top dogs in this dividion.

I seem to remember RW referencing in preseason the fact that as an example of the differences between NL1 and the Championship, Nile Dacres was about 10 kilos lighter than most other players in his position in the Champ. I'm sure the team will grow into this league (literally!)

Unfortunately being 10kgs heavier doesn't necessarily mean you can tackle, our best defenders are probably sammy t and preecy.
We let 60 points pass us today and you have to say our defence was poor especially the first half.
We have to shore up our defence, we scored 4 try's (25pts) and that many points can win games.
Yes, size will help obviously, especially scrum time, and we struggled there today but it is also about technically getting it right.
Let's please not start picking giant robots who can't play rugby, England tried that and look where that got them, 5th in the six nations.
Always going to be a tough day, Ealing were very good, they had a better skill set but not really any bigger.and there openside was very good.
the positives for me were..
I) scoring 25 Pts and getting the bonus
2) the last 30 mins.
3) Sammy T

I don't think we need to panic, we will survive, maybe not top 4 this year.
I think will Finnish 7th or 8th but capable of higher.
A good win next week will help.

Pre season/ after jersey/after bedford..my answer was the same lets wait til the end of october and see where we are and how the opposition is and how they have improved. Look at what has worked and which personnel have adapted to their new surroundings best.
The cup competition will provide 2 months of training games with dubious levels of opposition, but like everyone else..time to sort things out for 2019. In Leeds case an exodus of players in and out is needed...so beware the bottom team causing an upset next week.

I said this at the end of last season - we were always going to get our @#$%& handed to us this year, and we'd need to get used to not winning every game, or even being in with a chance of winning every game.

The club stepped up a league, so our play on the field needs to as well. It will come, just as it did two years ago when Rowland first came to the club. We were shocking up to Christmas that year, so catch breath people!

Being 10kg heavier ( in the right places) does make tackling easier, rucking easier, scrimmaging easier. We’re technically a very decent team, but over 80 mins being lighter at every contact wears you down so your technique goes. If we were playing at a hundred miles an hour with the ball then great, but we weren’t and away from home, judging by yesterday and previous reports we don’t away.

A good player is a good player, a good player 10kg stronger is better. ( the right 10kgs!!!)

Sam SkennelI said this at the end of last season - we were always going to get our @#$%& handed to us this year, and we'd need to get used to not winning every game, or even being in with a chance of winning every game.
The club stepped up a league, so our play on the field needs to as well. It will come, just as it did two years ago when Rowland first came to the club. We were shocking up to Christmas that year, so catch breath people!

BackTenRef?Being 10kg heavier ( in the right places) does make tackling easier, rucking easier, scrimmaging easier. We’re technically a very decent team, but over 80 mins being lighter at every contact wears you down so your technique goes. If we were playing at a hundred miles an hour with the ball then great, but we weren’t and away from home, judging by yesterday and previous reports we don’t away.
A good player is a good player, a good player 10kg stronger is better. ( the right 10kgs!!!)

Perhaps my original post wasn't well written and/or misinterpreted. I know we are not going to win every game and I know Ealing are in a much Better place than us but what is the difference between us and where we need to be? Not necessarily comparing against Ealing.

BackTenRef?Being 10kg heavier ( in the right places) does make tackling easier, rucking easier, scrimmaging easier. We’re technically a very decent team, but over 80 mins being lighter at every contact wears you down so your technique goes. If we were playing at a hundred miles an hour with the ball then great, but we weren’t and away from home, judging by yesterday and previous reports we don’t away.
A good player is a good player, a good player 10kg stronger is better. ( the right 10kgs!!!)

The top 5 in this league should be in no particular order Irish, Trailfinders, Blues, Jersey and Pirates.

Yes Coventry beat a massively depleted Blues team and Jersey who traditionally are slow starters and then become one of the form teams in the 2nd half of the season.

You will find winning home games are a must and winning away is a bonus, with the ultimate aim to get some form of bonus point.

That realistically leaves Coventry 6 to 12, you were never going to storm the league into the top 4 this year. I see somewhere Coventry somewhere around 8th as being a good result, next season you will want to aim to be challenging top 5, before trying to break into it the following season.

Controversial? Perspective! I haven’t seen it mentioned here but ’Shoulder to shoulder’ is a fabulous film about Irish rugby on BT Sport. Beautiful piece by Coventry and England star David Duckham. Looking forward to a fabulous game back at home against Yorkshire Carnegie. Come on Cov!

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